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acne

PostPosted: Fri Nov 20, 2009 1:08 am
by delabeaux
So....
I'm 30 and have had acne since about age 13. Mild on the face, moderate to significant on my shoulders/back.

I've tried it all.... literally.
calendula, no effect.
vegan diet, no effect.
sulfa washes, no effect.
Retin A micro and other vitamin A derived topicals, no effect.
salicyclic acid topicals, no effect.
benzyl peroxide topicals, no effect.
the above two combined, no effect.
the above two with triclosan topicals, no effect.
koumbacha tea, no effect.
tea tree, no effect.
frequent light washings, no effect.
1st morning's urine, gross yes, no effect.
all of the cycline drugs (tetra, doxy etc), no effect.
high intake of water per day, no effect.
Exposure to UV/sunlight, no effect... as a microbiology major, I'm aware of its antibiotic effect. On mortal bacteria that is.

bactrum antibiotic, pill form... worked and worked well... unfortunately it gave me the worst gas ever and my marriage mandated I get off of it ;p.(Ever been to Yellowstone and seen the sulfur pools? I could have passed for one).

Accutane... I refuse. Way too many side-effects, and I'd rather have backne than commit suicide or any of the other several hundred side effects.

There's probably a few other's I haven't listed... no effect... glycerin soap, other natural soaps, nutrogena, every 'acne' kit/soap at wal-mart, oatmeal...

nothing... not applying soaps, no effect.


Anywho, looking for any other options anyone can think of.

Thanks.

PostPosted: Fri Nov 20, 2009 7:40 am
by pinkrose
Are you following Dr. McDougall's advice?

Here is the link:

http://www.drmcdougall.com/med_acne.html

Diet

PostPosted: Fri Nov 20, 2009 8:59 am
by AnnaS
I tried all of those acne cures too, with no results until the age of 48 (yikes) when my husband and I changed to the McDougall program. My acne disappeared. Since then, (7 years) I've had clear skin. If I eat more than a little soy I'll get a small outbreak, same with nuts--it's entirely cause and effect.
You were on the right track with the vegan diet, however that still includes many foods high in fat and rich in sugar. You need to get the fat out of your diet and you'll see a big change.

Re: Diet

PostPosted: Fri Nov 20, 2009 12:09 pm
by ivy
AnnaS wrote:I tried all of those acne cures too, with no results until the age of 48 (yikes) when my husband and I changed to the McDougall program. My acne disappeared. Since then, (7 years) I've had clear skin. If I eat more than a little soy I'll get a small outbreak, same with nuts--it's entirely cause and effect.
You were on the right track with the vegan diet, however that still includes many foods high in fat and rich in sugar. You need to get the fat out of your diet and you'll see a big change.


I too had the same results. A whole foods strict vegetarian diet got rid of the severe acne but it didn't completely clear up until I eliminated oil and high fat foods. As with AnnaS, eating even a little soy or nuts will cause a break out. I have eliminated all high fat foods from my diet.

PostPosted: Fri Nov 20, 2009 3:55 pm
by pinkrose
I would like to know if any of you who have changed to this very low fat diet and found relief from acne have had any unpleasant effects from this. Have you noticed lack of moisture in your skin, hair etc.?

If one follows this zero added fat on a starch based diet rich in fruits and veggies, what are the possible unpleasant side effects and how have you managed them?

No problems

PostPosted: Fri Nov 20, 2009 4:08 pm
by AnnaS
I have not had skin or moisture problems at all. My problem in the past was oily skin--now my skin is normal. My hair is actually much better, fuller without the oils in it. I think if you found your skin getting dry it's a simple matter to apply some lotion.

This diet is not really "zero" fat in that there is plenty of fat for good health in many of the foods we eat. Potatoes, for instance. Everything has a little fat in it. It's the ADDED fat, refined fat, unnatural fat, that causes trouble.

By the way I do not have any trouble with acne when I eat avocados, or SMALL amounts of soy, nuts, and other higher fat whole foods. I can still indulge a little, as long as I remember that eating more than one serving of soy, or eating it several days in a row, causes my acne to break out again.

PostPosted: Fri Nov 20, 2009 5:32 pm
by DangerousKiwi
I have had many problems w/ acne and it was more severe than any other cases I have personally seen. Many of the attempts (not all... haven't heard of some of those solutions including the pee!!!) at fixing it you listed, I have tried, and then some. For the most part they made it only slightly better at best. There were two times in my life when I was acne free. The first was after my first round of accutane when I was 16. A year later the acne was back. My second round of accutane that followed did very little.

The second time I was acne free was my first time on McDougall and vegan. I was very strict and my skin was awesome. Sinc then I strayed but recently have come back. I expect that my skin will get better soon, but it does take a few months. Stick with the diet and eliminate as much oil as possible. Good luck.

Re: acne

PostPosted: Sat Nov 28, 2009 9:53 pm
by yogimaster08
You said that Bactrim worked but had side effects, as expected. To me this means that you may have a bad strain of bacteria affecting you systemically. Those bubbling pools in Yellowstone are not devoid of super strong strains of bacteria. The smell you gave off was probably the result of a die-off of organisms in your gut. I would try bee propolis to boost your natural immunity. Then I would attempt to kill said bad bacteria by ingesting oil of oregano, grapefruit seed extract, and other bitters. Then repopulate your intestines with probiotics, the good bacteria. A good chiropractor or naturopath can supply you with formulas that are potent enough to be effective. Continue McDougalling to keep the environment in your body favorable to the beneficial intestinal flora.

PostPosted: Sun Nov 29, 2009 11:26 am
by Emily
It did take months of perfect adherence for it to work, but the McDougall diet cured mine (which was not severe, but I did have it persistently for many years, and nothing improved it). Now, if I cheat even just a tiny bit by having a high-fat food, I will break out. Inevitably. It is a direct thing - I eat a high-fat food, I break out in the next couple days. Having seen it happen 5 or 6 times now in exactly that way, I now see how connected the two events are. I don't mind so much. It's nice to have a really good, direct reason to resist the high-fat plant foods. Otherwise, the relation between a general idea of creating good health and eating a high-fat food *once* feels pretty nebulous. I'm not even talking about foods I consider unhealthy - just high-fat plant foods.

Re: acne

PostPosted: Thu Feb 25, 2010 1:51 pm
by bluestocking
You might also want to avoid sea salt, iodized salt, and seaweed products, because some people think that iodine can worsen acne.

Eating raw cruciferous vegetables (cabbage, broccoli, etc.) could interfere with iodine uptake, and they're good for you, anyway.

Re: acne

PostPosted: Wed Aug 31, 2011 6:01 pm
by Kime
Diet is important but sometimes isn't enough. My 15 year old son gets some pimples even while he is eating McDougall. Bentonite clay clears up the rest. Bentonite clay alone doesn't do a complete job if he strays too far off the McDougall diet, he still gets some pimples. Both together and his skin is completely clear. I hate to think of how he would look if he didn't do either...

Re: acne

PostPosted: Fri Sep 09, 2011 9:05 am
by st-ara
I've also had the same problem. I've tried too many medicines, diets and even went to a dermatologist but all just gave me treatments for temporary healing. I still get acne now and then. What I want is a treatment which will stop these breakouts forever. I'm glad I went to this site, I'm going to try Dr.McDougall's program. I have very big hopes for this.

Re: acne

PostPosted: Fri Sep 09, 2011 4:38 pm
by pinkrose
st-ara wrote:I've also had the same problem. I've tried too many medicines, diets and even went to a dermatologist but all just gave me treatments for temporary healing. I still get acne now and then. What I want is a treatment which will stop these breakouts forever. I'm glad I went to this site, I'm going to try Dr.McDougall's program. I have very big hopes for this.


Welcome aboard, St-ara!

Use the great educational resources here. Follow the program faithfully and let us know how you do!!! :-D

Re: acne

PostPosted: Wed Sep 21, 2011 10:01 am
by ibutcher
Hello there. I am from the UK and have heard about this new health program by Dr McDougall and it all makes so much sense to me. I do though have a question, has anyone followed it who has had acne? I am 19 years old girl , and have had bad acne for the last five years and have tried everything- including homeopathic medicine, medicine and cream from the Doctors' etc etc. I have read the recommendation Dr McDougall has written for those with acne, and could anyone say if this worked and what they found helped? Thank you , kind regards.

Re: acne

PostPosted: Wed Sep 21, 2011 10:36 am
by kittyadventures
For me it was the wheat... probably the oils too but when I removed Wheat and gluten from my diet all my acne cleared up and like others have said if I have a little wheat it comes back the next day.

I will say this my skin hair and nails have never been better now that I am on the Mc Dougall diet.